After an encounter with young men of the Quileute tribe while hunting with Emmett, Edward begins the negotiations that will eventually lead to the Treaty between the Quileutes and the Cullen family circa 1937

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property of the authors. No money is being made from this work. No
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Author's Note: Many
thanks to Lakegirl for her excellent edits and suggestions!

Edward first saw the
three boys as he and Emmett walked toward the car they'd left
parked two days earlier. They had been arguing heatedly about the
World Series, and he'd been ignoring the dull hum of thoughts in
the unfamiliar Native American tongue for at least a mile before the
boys came in to sight. But an abrupt, momentary shift to English
caught his attention.

Bloodsuckers, a
voice muttered before shifting back to the unfamiliar language.

Edward's head whipped
up, and he briefly met the eyes of one of the boys, the leader he
guessed. He noticed that all of the boys were unusually tall and
gangly.

Emmett picked up on his
tension: "What is it?" he asked.

"They know," he
replied in a low, rapid voice.

He and Emmett had been
hunting this weekend near Quileute lands. Unlike the area around
their home in Hoquiam, the human population here was sparse and game
was plentiful. In the ten times they had been to this region in
recent months they hadn't had any trouble.

The insult uttered by
the Quileute boy reminded Edward of something else from earlier that
day. Several miles back, he had stopped to examine some unusual
tracks. "That's no bear," Emmett had commented as he studied
the large prints.

"No," Edward had
replied curtly. "I think those are werewolf tracks."

Thinking about the
tracks now, Edward began to suspect that they might well be connected
to these Quileute boys. Carlisle had not wanted to settle too close
to the Quileute lands, as some of the tribe's teenage boys had
changed into werewolves as a result of his residence near Forks some
years ago. He and Emmett remained motionless as the teens retreated
further down the trail. Edward listened intently, but the boys'
thoughts remained annoyingly outside his reach, in their native
language.

Once the boys were out
of sight, Edward and Emmett continued toward the car. Despite his
preoccupation with what he had seen and heard that day, Edward smiled
automatically as his new vehicle came into view. It was soon after
Rosalie acquired her sleek—and utterly ridiculous—red convertible
Duesenberg that he decided he wanted a Mercedes-Benz. He had spent
several months in southern Germany test-driving different models
before settling on the divine 540 K Cabriolet. He'd been driving
the Mercedes for three months now and doubted he would ever tire of
it.

When they arrived home,
Edward recounted the day's events to a grave-looking Carlisle . He
heaved a deep sigh and shook his head. "Esme, Rosalie," he
called.

Carlisle waited until
everyone was seated before he began. "I thought by settling here,
further down the peninsula away from the Quileute lands, we wouldn't
cause any problems with their boys. But, it seems I was wrong."

"So what do we do?"
Esme asked in an agitated voice. She, more than any of the others,
liked to be settled and always grew upset when her family had to move
again.

Carlisle smiled
reassuringly at her, but there was worry behind his eyes. "Well, I
think we should talk to the tribal leaders, let them know that we
mean no harm to their people. In fact, I should have thought to do so
sooner."

Edward could see his
father was concerned. "I'll go," he volunteered.

The next morning, after
stopping at the small general store in La Push for directions, Edward
pulled up in front of a small frame house. He saw the three boys
from yesterday's hike lounging in chairs under a tree. He waved
and called out, "I'm looking for Joseph Black. Is he at home,
please?"

All three teens stared
insolently at Edward. He was frustrated once again that their
thoughts stayed strictly in Quileute. Finally, the one he'd pegged
as their leader yesterday rose and gestured toward the small
outbuilding behind the house, "My father is not at home, but you'll
find my uncle there if you want to speak to him."

Edward nodded politely.
"Thank you."

Before he could knock,
he heard, "Come in; I've been expecting you."

Edward stepped through
the door of what turned out to be a garage of sorts. Daniel Black, a
tall, thin man was seated on a workbench. He looked up only brieflybefore returning his attention to the box of nuts and bolts in
his lap. "If only I had some A3s," he muttered distractedly.

"My sister Rosalie
might know where you could get them," Edward said quietly from the
doorway.

A slow smile spread
across Daniel Black's face as he looked at Edward. "Your
sister?" He chuckled. "And how is it that your sister would
know anything about bolts for a car's exhaust system?"

"My sister knows far
more about repairing cars than my brother or myself."

"Is that so?"
Daniel Black looked down again, his fingers turning through the parts
in the box. This one is just as at ease with humans as his leader.
That could throw Joseph off his game. At last, he sighed and
looked up, "Well, you might ask your sister about some size A3
bolts; it's a 1923 Buick sedan." He motioned toward the only
chair. "Take a seat if you wish. You're here to see my brother,
I take it?"

Edward nodded and sat
down. "My name is Edward Cullen. You must be Daniel Black."
Sensing there would be no rebuff, he extended his hand, and the man
reached out to shake it.

"That's right. May
I ask what brings you here today, Mr. Cullen?" He gazed
thoughtfully at Edward for a moment. It's too late, you know;
our boys are already doomed.

"My family wishes me
to convey our intentions regarding hunting in this vicinity,"
Edward replied in a measured tone.

Daniel Black resumed
his work as he spoke. "The county game warden is a man by the name
of Milton Gardiner; lives in Forks.

"Naturally, we abide
by the game laws," Edward said. "But I'm here to speak to your
brother about our . . . kills."

Don't you mean
"prey," not "kills"? "I see." Daniel nodded. "You
know, of course, that tribal lands are out of bounds to sporting
hunters."

Edward changed course.
"My brother and I came across some of your boys when we were
returning to our car near your land yesterday. They seemed to have
been out hunting too."

Daniel nodded. "That
was my nephew Ephraim, and his friends Quil Ateara and Levi Uley.
Those were the boys you saw when you drove up. They did do some . .
. hunting over the weekend," he said carefully. Patrolling
our lands to protect our people.

"Their weapons were
not obvious to a casual observer and they didn't seem to have any
luck with their hunt, but I daresay they are fine hunters
nonetheless," Edward noted casually.

"And how did you and
your brother fare with your hunt, Mr. Cullen? Did you return home
with any meat for your family?" Daniel was staring fixedly at him,
no longer feigning disinterest.

"Our weapons are
likewise not obvious to a casual observer. And, like your nephew and
his friends, we had a successful hunt but returned home without
tangible evidence of our good fortune." Edward leaned
forward. "My father has reason to believe that your people may
remember him from some years back; he was living near Forks then,
much closer to your lands."

"Then you may recall
that he spoke with your tribal leader at that time about his own
hunting habits. My family members all share my father's
philosophy. We only hunt certain types of game. Our hunting habits
pose no danger to your people…or to anyone else," he added
pointedly.

Daniel met Edward's
level gaze. "And why would your hunting habits be of any concern
to my brother or myself?"

"My family leads a
quiet life in Hoquiam. We are very happy there and aren't looking
for any trouble. My father is a physician; my sister and brother and
I attend the local high school."

"You look old enough
to be getting out of school soon," Daniel interjected.

"In another year or
so," Edward replied mildly.

"And will you and
your brother be looking to get work at the paper mill in Aberdeen
after you've finished school?"

"No, my mother is
anxious to move closer to her family in Wisconsin, and I expect we
will move on when we've completed our education," Edward replied.

"I see," Daniel
paused, reflecting. "So, let me see if I have this right. You've
come to assure us that our people would not be . . . affected
. . . by your continued hunting in this vicinity, and you'd like to
avoid any . . . unpleasant . . . questions from the locals here or
nearer your home in Hoquiam." When Edward nodded, Daniel tilted
his head and asked, "And what do we get in exchange for keeping our
thoughts to ourselves?"

Edward chose his words
carefully. "Your boys out there," he nodded in the direction of
the front yard, "hunt in this area outside of your land as well. I
think my family would prefer to come to some understanding about
territorial boundaries. We wouldn't want a simple misunderstanding
to become anything more than it needs to be."

"You're aware that
the law guarantees our lands are off-limits to sporting huntsmen in
any case," Daniel pointed out.

"Naturally," Edward
replied smoothly. "But, if a disagreement occurred outside the
bounds of your land, it's easy to see how matters could get out of
hand. It might be best if we could all agree on some parameters
going forward. Perhaps we could agree that my family is free to hunt
on adjacent lands, without worrying about problems with your . . .
people, or about, as you say, unpleasant questions, so long as my
family stays off of Quileute lands."

"I think that might
be something we could discuss," Daniel replied carefully. "Perhaps
you'd like to bring your father to see my brother tomorrow. He
should be back by mid-afternoon."

"We'll be here.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, and if my sister has any
of those A3 bolts you need, I'll bring them along," he said,
smiling slightly.

He stood to leave when
he saw Daniel's eyes go glassy, his body rigid. Hearing the man's
thoughts, Edward moved quickly from confusion to understanding.
Daniel Black must be one of the Quileutes with "second sight."
Carlisle had mentioned that there was a seer in the tribe every so
many generations. Edward remained quietly by the door and
concentrated on the images in Daniel Black's head.

Oppressive clouds, a
sudden wind whips the trees. A young woman stands on top of the
craggy cliffs, looking down placidly at the churning water below, the
rain of a violent storm beginning to fall. Her long dark hair whips
across her face in the wind. She seems to be having a conversation
and yet she is alone. She hesitates for the briefest second before
she plunges off the edge.

Edward started to move,
thinking it might be better to leave Daniel with his visions, but he
stopped as the man was seized by a new image.

She stands alone on
the edge of the outcropping. She is watching, a smile playing about
her mouth, and then he is there too—the Cullen boy—wrapping one
arm around her waist. They watch the waves for a time in silence and
then he urges her back to safety, his hand in hers. Her expression
as she turns is both content and yet wistful.

Daniel's body
relaxed, though his eyes were now closed. "Bring your father to
see my brother tomorrow," he repeated quietly.

"I'll do that,
thank you," Edward said. Who was that girl? And what had he
been doing with her? Shaken, he eased the door closed behind
him.

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